Could Charlie X be the new villian in the new Star Trek?
Well, from some hints they have given in previews and set photos, it seems like the new villain is a former Starfleet officer, so probably not Charlie Evans. He talks about returning for vengeance, so there is obviously a backstory where he has some grievance against the Federation, but I don’t think it will be a story from the original series. They’re trying to appeal to a new generation of viewers, so they won’t throw in some obscure character that only 10% of the audience might have heard of.
In the first film, they did a lot of “shout-outs” to the original series and older films, but they were pretty subtle, so they wouldn’t be a distraction to a viewer that was completely new to the franchise. I think they will continue that with this film. Khan is about the only villain that is well known enough for them to revive without retelling the whole story, but they have said he isn’t Khan, so forget that angle.